SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — Innocean Australia CEO Jasmin Bedir has announced that acclaimed creative leader and former Cummins & Partners National Executive Creative Director, Brendan Willenberg, has joined the agency as its new Executive Creative Director.
Brendan has enjoyed a 20-year career as one of the nation’s top creatives and led some of the country’s best known non-traditional campaigns, including “Pitvertising” for Rexona, “Losing Lena” for Code Like a Girl, “Support Acts” for Wrigley’s Extra, and “Fallout with a V” for V Energy drinks.
He has won a host of Cannes Lions, Effies, AWARD Awards, One Show and Spikes and was runner up for the Fast Company World Changing Ideas Award for Code Like a Girl’s “Losing Lena” campaign. He was named the fifth best ECD in APAC by One Show and won AWARD’s Agency of the Year in 2019 at Clemenger.
Brendan began his career as a copywriter at McCann, before moving to Clemenger where he spent more than a decade and became Executive Creative Director. He then moved to Archibald Williams as Executive Creative Director and Creative Partner before joining Cummins & Partners. When he’s not creating work, Willenberg can be found hosting the Eastside FM radio show EXPANSIONS.
Jasmin Bedir said: “I’m so excited to welcome Brendan to Innocean and our team. Brendan is just as excited about building an end-to-end creative company and growing our agency as we are, but also brings the maturity and tenacity to put this into action – we feel like we have found our perfect match.”
“He brings incredible agency and brand experience to Innocean – but what we like the most is that he is a self-described ‘slight unicorn’ – a big brand/placorm creative leader with brilliant digital and CX skills, which is exactly what we have been building. Growth and making our best work yet are Innocean’s focus for 2025.”
Innocean Chief Strategy Officer Giorgia Butler said: “We’re thrilled to have Brendan bring his considerable firepower to the slate of impaccul, cohesive, end-to-end media and creative solutions we have planned for 2025. Our clients will continue to benefit from the advantages that come when we connect the whole picture together and it doesn’t hurt that he’s also just a very good egg. Jasmin and I couldn’t be happier to welcome Brendan on board.”
Brendan commented: “Jas has transformed Innocean into an offering with a formidable set of disciplines at the same time that I’ve undertaken a similar creative odyssey. Our paths have collided at the perfect time. Between Jas, Giorgia, and myself, I’m excited to bring our creativity and chemistry to the phenomenal client roster and the broader Australian market.”
Jasmin also thanked former Executive Creative Director Wez Hawes, who has now left the agency.
“We had a great four years together, and we wish him nothing but the best,” she said.
Brendan Willenberg’s appointment follows the news that Innocean has introduced a media planning and buying division within the agency with three foundation clients in Hyundai, Geotab and Sandhurst Fine Foods.
Brendan’s appointment is effective immediately.
